Leipsic River Watershed Proposed Tmdls
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Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Leipsic River Watershed Proposed TMDLs Arden Claymont Wilmington Bellefonte Newark New Castle Delaware City Odessa Middletown Smyrna Clayton 13 Leipsic Kenton Cheswold Dupont Manor Hartly Dover Little Creek Bowers Frederica Houston Harrington Slaughter Beach Greenwood Ellendale Milton Lewes Bridgeville Rehoboth Beach Millsboro Bethel Dagsboro Bethany Beach Frankford South Bethany Selbyville Fenwick Island DNRE007 August 2006 PREFACE The draft Proposed TMDLs for the Leipsic River watershed were reviewed during a public workshop held on 11 May, 2006. All comments received at the workshop and during the May 1 through 31 comment period were considered by DNREC. This report has been updated to address public comments by Mid-Atlantic Environmental Law Center (Sections 1.1, 2.0, 4.0, 4.2, 6.1, 6.4 and 6.5). i CONTENTS Section Page PREFACE...............................................................................................................................................................i CONTENTS .........................................................................................................................................................ii FIGURES..............................................................................................................................................................iii TABLES ................................................................................................................................................................iv 1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 303(d) LISTED WATERBODIES............................................................................................ 1-1 1.2 DESIGNATED USES................................................................................................................ 1-3 1.3 APPLICABLE WATER QUALITY STANDARDS AND NUTRIENT GUIDELINES ............................................................................................................................. 1-3 2 MODELING FRAMEWORKS........................................................................................................ 2-1 2.1 MODEL SEGMENTATION/DELINEATION ................................................................. 2-2 3 WATERSHED CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................................................ 3-1 3.1 LANDUSE .................................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 POINT SOURCES ...................................................................................................................... 3-1 4 WATERSHED MONITORING...................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 OVERALL WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT.................................................................. 4-2 4.2 SOURCES OF POLLUTION................................................................................................... 4-2 5 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE TMDL ANALYSIS....................................................... 5-1 5.1 TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOADS AND THEIR ALLOCATIONS ......................... 5-1 5.2 TMDL ENDPOINTS ................................................................................................................. 5-2 5.3 TMDL MODEL OUTPUT PRESENTATION .................................................................... 5-3 5.4 INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS....................................................................................... 5-4 6 PROPOSED TMDL LOAD REDUCTION.................................................................................. 6-1 6.1 CONSIDERATION OF THE IMPACT OF BACKGROUND POLLUTANTS ......... 6-1 6.2 CONSIDERATION OF CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ................ 6-2 6.3 CONSIDERATION OF SEASONAL VARIATIONS........................................................ 6-2 6.4 CONSIDERATION OF MARGIN OF SAFETY................................................................ 6-5 6.5 CONSIDERATION OF MODEL CAPABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS .................. 6-5 6.6 TMDL IMPLEMENTATION / PUBLIC PARTICIPATION .......................................... 6-7 7 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................... 7-1 APPENDIX 1 – EXISTING & TMDL MODEL OUTPUT (FRESHWATER) APPENDIX 2 – EXISTING & TMDL MODEL OUTPUT (MARINE) APPENDIX 3 – LEIPSIC RIVER BASELINE LOADINGS APPENDIX 4 – LEIPSIC RIVER LSPC INPUTS ii FIGURES Figure Page Figure 1. LSPC Model Segmentation Leipsic River Watershed............................................................. 2-4 Figure 2. ECOMSED Grid......................................................................................................................... 2-5 Figure 3. RCA Model Segmentation Leipsic River Watershed.............................................................. 2-6 Figure 4. Subwatershed Groupings Leipsic River Watershed................................................................ 6-4 iii TABLES Table Page Table 1. Leipsic River Watershed TMDL Segments ............................................................................... 1-2 Table 2. Summary of Land Use in the Leipsic River Watershed........................................................... 3-1 Table 3. Proposed TMDLs For The Leipsic River Watershed.............................................................. 6-2 Table 4. Leipsic River NPS LA by Land Use and Watershed Group................................................... 6-3 iv 1-1 SECTION 1 1 INTRODUCTION As required by the Federal Clean Water Act, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is responsible for implementing water quality monitoring and assessment activities in the State and also for establishing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) on impaired State surface waters as indicated on the State’s 303(d) List. In addition, the State of Delaware is under a court-approved Consent Decree (C.A. No. 96-591, D. Del 1996) that requires completion of TMDLs for certain impaired State waters by 2006. In order to complete these TMDLs, DNREC has contracted with the environmental modeling firm (HydroQual, Inc.) to develop mathematical models of the Leipsic River watershed to assist in developing the TMDLs. These mathematical models include a landside watershed model to calculate nonpoint source (NPS) runoff and quality, a hydrodynamic model to calculate the movement of water in the tidal reaches of the Leipsic River (downstream of Garrison’s Lake), and a water quality model that is coupled to the hydrodynamic model to calculate water quality in the tidal reaches of the river. As part of the Leipsic River watershed model development, data compilation and analyses were completed in addition to model development, calibration and validation. The data compilation/analysis and model development is presented in the following technical memorandum and report: • Leipsic River Watershed TMDL Development, Data Analysis Technical Memorandum (HydroQual, 2005); and • Leipsic River Watershed TMDL Model Development (HydroQual, 2006). A summary of some of the data and modeling information related to the Leipsic River TMDL is presented below but detailed information relating to data and modeling are contained in these two references. 1.1 303(D) LISTED WATERBODIES The waterbodies listed on the State of Delaware’s 1998, 2002, 2004, and 2006 Draft 303(d) Lists in the Leipsic River Watershed are presented in Table 1. There are a total of 7 listed water segments: 1 tidal segment of the Leipsic River; 4 freshwater stream segments; and 2 freshwater lakes or ponds. These segments are listed for nutrients, DO and bacteria with the most probable source of pollutants identified as NPS. The TMDL development in the Leipsic River watershed was completed to address these water quality impairments and present TMDLs that are aimed at improving water quality in the listed segments. 1-2 Table 1. Leipsic River Watershed TMDL Segments Size Probable Waterbody ID Segment Description Parameters Affected Source Lower Leipsic From dam at Garrisons Lake to mouth at DE160-001 13.6 miles Bacteria, DO, nutrients NPS River Delaware River Upper Leipsic From headwaters to Garrisons Lake, DE160-002 5.8 miles Bacteria, DO, nutrients NPS River excluding Masseys Mill Pond From the start of the third order stream Upper Leipsic DE160-002 2.7 miles on Pinks Branch to the confluence with DO NPS River Garrison Lake Dyke Branch from headwaters to DE160-004 Dyke Branch 4.39 miles Bacteria, DO, nutrients NPS confluence with Leipsic River Muddy Branch from headwaters to DE160-004 Muddy Branch 5.59 miles Bacteria, DO, nutrients NPS confluence with Leipsic River DE160-L01 Garrisons Lake 85.9 acres Lake south of Smyrna Bacteria, DO, nutrients NPS Masseys Mill DE160-L02 30.0 acres Pond South of Clayton Bacteria, DO, nutrients NPS Pond 1-3 1.2 DESIGNATED USES According to the “State of Delaware Surface Water Quality Standards (Amended July 11, 2004)”, the designated uses that must be maintained and protected through the application of appropriate criteria are uses for: industrial water supply; primary contact recreation; secondary contact recreation; fish, aquatic life and wildlife including shellfish propagation; and agricultural water supply in freshwater segments